How Doctors Can Handle Negative On-Line Feedback
Whether you have recently opened or purchased your practice, or whether you have an established practice, very few things can be as damaging to your ability to attract new patients than negative on-line reviews. The proliferation of social media websites such as Facebook, Yelp and Twitter, as well as doctor-specific rating sites like Healthgrades.com, Vitals.com and RateMDs.com, have allowed unhappy patients the means to seriously damage your on-line reputation, regardless of the quality of services you provide or the merits of the complaint.
The following are some strategies for tackling negative feedback on social media and turning it from a detriment into a learning experience.
- Ask for feedback from all of your patients
Often, negative reviewers represent only a very small subset of your patient base. However, if they are the only ones posting about their experience with your practice, it will unfairly skew the on-line perception of the practice. The way to balance these negative reviews is to start encouraging all of your patients to leave reviews. Although this can be an uncomfortable subject to broach, a well-trained front office staff can be the best method of encouraging your patients to leave positive comments on social media. Not only can this balance any negative reviews, but it can also increase your exposure and help drive growth in your patient base.
- Communicate with your patients
Most negative reviews do not relate to the quality of care, but rather to dissatisfaction with the overall experience, from wait times to hidden costs to perceived rudeness from doctors and staff. Although sometimes delays and billing issues are unavoidable, the best way to minimize your patient’s negative experience is to let them know about potential problems ahead of time so that they can be prepared for them, and to always make sure that your staff behaves in a professional, courteous manner.
- Don’t be afraid to reply to criticism
Replying to criticism posted online serves two important goals: it lets both the patient who wrote the criticism and other potential patients know that you have heard the concerns and are taking them seriously. This lets the patient know his or her voice has been heard, which can often defuse the situation, and it lets other potential patients know that patient satisfaction is important to you. If the reviewer is satisfied with your response, you can also ask him or her to amend the review to show other patients and potential patients that the issue has been resolved.
- Take a deep breath before replying
Receiving negative feedback is never fun, and it is easy to get caught up in the emotions involved with your practice and its success. Before replying to the negative commentary, remember that this person is probably not being vindictive, even if their negativity is unfounded. Make sure that you are cheerful and don’t try to offer up excuses or get defensive, but instead find ways that you can resolve the issue.
- Use the criticism to improve your practice
If a patient has constructive criticism that you can use to better your practice, implementing the change shows that you are flexible and you are looking to do the best that you can. If the criticism is unfounded or destructive, make sure to stay polite and simply explain that their suggestions wouldn’t work for your practice, but that you appreciate their ideas.